Hello! Thank you for joining me on Part 2 of our Black Forest weekend adventure! This is a continuation from my previous post you can find, here. Are you ready to continue? Los Ghets! (“Let’s go” in German).
Day 2… In Germany, most places are closed on Sundays for a day of rest. However, in the Black Forest, tourism is still bustling. Most places remain open, but not to include grocery stores. So no damper there for Sunday adventurers looking for fun in the Black Forest.
To start our Sunday morning, our cute hotel offered free breakfast that consisted of a buffet (following Covid rules of course). I was quite impressed and happy our hotel offered this! More on our hotel on another post if you are interested (coming soonish).
Ok, now, moving on, let’s get back to a list of things to do in the Black Forest:
1.) Glass Blowing at Dorotheenhüttte
Our first adventure of the day included glass blowing at Dorotheenhütte. This experience came highly recommended, so we knew we had to add it to our list! Plus, it was open on a Sunday!
Since our hotel offered the Schwarzwald Plus Card, the discount card, the entrance fee was included! We only had to pay for our Glass blowing experience which cost us 25 Euros. Once we paid, we were directed to enter an open area where the glass blowing magic happens. Here, you can watch as the glass blowing experts make the vases for their patrons. We didn’t exactly get to blow glass (which I heard you could do pre-Covid), but the 25euro gave us the opportunity to create our own Glass vase.
To begin, you tell staff what colors you’d like your vase to be. They’ll then ask you to pick a pattern of dots or stripes. Once you choose, they’ll make the vase for you all while you observe and watch how glassblowers make vases. I mean how cool is that, right in the heart of Black Forest! Ours turned out pretty neat! We chose purple, pink, white, blue, and a hint of green for our striped color vase. My husband had the chance to flatten the bottom of the glass and we all got to watch the process right in front of us!
Once that was done, we were told to wait for a total of 20 minutes for the vase to cool and during that time, you can walk around the room and read on the history of glass blowing, watch their video, or watch as other people get their vases made. Once we picked up our cooled vase, we then took our vase to another room and watched them smooth out the vase for a finishing touch. You are provided with a certificate for your vase.
On our way out, we walked around the souvenir shop which included kitchenwares, handmade plates /mugs, more handmade glass gifts, a small Christmas store, and more. Be sure to ask on your way out for a signature Dorotheeenhütte sticker to place on your vase! This was my husband’s cool idea so we can remember where we got the vase made from.
Tip: get there early as soon as they open! Tour buses like to come this way, so we got there as soon as they opened to avoid the crowds.
All in all, DO THIS! It’s so much fun and well worth it! Your kids can also make their own vase, but we just opted to make a family one! It really is a wonderful experience! To have your own custom made glass vase straight from the Black Forest, that’s pretty neat!
Info: Dorotheenhütte
Opening Hours: daily 10 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; hours for Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve — 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. ; last entrance Glas Museum: 1:00 p.m.
Closed for Christmas Day and New Year’s Day
Glassworks/Glas Museum:
7 days a week (also public holidays) 10 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. — last entrance: 3:00 p.m.
Making a vase for visitors:
daily 10 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. — last entrance: 3:00 p.m. | Vase: 25,– €
During holiday-times there may be a waiting time for making a colored crystal vase. It’s encouraged to use time in their cinema, shops, or children’s play room.
Glass Country, Shops, Christmas Village:
7 days a week (also public holidays): 10 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Address: Germany, 77709 Wolfach, Glashuettenweg 4
Tours and Entrance Fee: Find info here. Unless you have the Schwarzwald Plus Card (not to be confused with the Schwarzwald Card that is completely different) entrance fee is free with the Schwarzwald Plus Card)
2.) Triberg WaterFall- Germany’s Highest Waterfalls
Our next stop brings us back to Triberg. We visited the day before, but decided to hold off on the waterfall till today. Triberg Waterfall is known as the “highest waterfalls in Germany.” I don’t really think it is, but it’s one that is easily accessible for many and is one of the famous landmarks that draws visitors to Triberg.
Side note: so you don’t make the same mistake we did, my husband put “parking for Triberg waterfall” on our GPS and it directed us to a parking area away from Triberg City Center (where the main entrance is located), This really confused me at first. The location our GPS took us was Scheffelplatz parking area, a small parking area right by a higher elevation than the town Triberg itself. I didn’t think anything of it.
Once we parked and paid at the parking kiosk machine, we then walked to the cashier entranceway. It cost us 12,50euros for the family of 4- my youngest is 8. We hiked directly to the top of the falls not realizing we were already at the top. I’m pretty sure I kicked myself for not researching this hike. Tip for next time, please start at the main entrance in Triberg city center and walk yourself up! I think had we started at the main entrance, our experience would have been different. We weren’t really impressed, but we got a little bit of walking under our belt that morning, even if it was for less than an hour lol. If you want to see a map of the waterfall and locations for parking and entrances, here’s a good map from this site!
Tip: again, start at the main entrance and work your way up to the falls. If you prefer to just get to the top, then park at this address: Schönwälder Str. 20, 78098 Triberg im Schwarzwald. This is called the Scheffelplatz parking lot which will lead you to the trail where the other entrance is located, closer to the top of the falls. This way, you don’t have to walk the whole way up.
Tip: I believe your ticket is only good for one entranceway. I don’t think they will honor the same ticket if you tried to use it to enter from one of their three entrances to get in another entranceway. We saw this happen when a couple tried to get in with a ticket at the entrance we came in at, they would not honor it and they would have had to pay again to enter.
Tip: save your receipt/ticket! This will get you in the TribergLand (miniature model of the town of Triberg) for free, located close to the city center. We didn’t get to do this because my kiddos weren’t all about it and just wanted to go back to the hotel.
Tip: Our Schwarzwald Plus Card does not honor this location, but check if other discount cards do, like the Schwarzwald Card that other hotels offer their guests.
Info: Triberg Waterfalls (click on the blue to find info on this)
Address of the main entrance: Hauptstraße 85, 78098 Triberg im Schwarzwald (most convenient)
Accessible for wheelchair users by access Asklepios Clinic (Ludwigstr. 1, 78098 Triberg). There’s a Flat trail to the first platform.
Other entrance address if you prefer to just walk to the top of the falls: Schönwälder Str. 20, 78098 Triberg im Schwarzwald.
Admission info from the Triberg Waterfalls website:
| Summer Admission | summer prices | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| without Guest-Card | with Guest-Card | Combi-Card waterfall/museum* | |
| Adults | 5,00 | 4,50 | 9,50 |
| Reduction: – Young people 8-17 years – severely disabled with proof from 50% – civil and military service – students | 4,50 | 4,00 | 7,00 |
| Family ticket | 12,50 | 11,00 | 21,50 |
| Groups 20 adults and more -> For every 20 people 1 person free! | 4,50 | 4,00 | |
| – Visitors with Triberg Guest-Card – Children under 8 years – habitants – Companion of severely disabled with proof from 50% and marked “B” | FREE | FREE |
Winter admission price:
| Winter Admission waterfall | winter prices | |
|---|---|---|
| without GC | with GC | |
| Adults | 3,50 | 3,00 |
| Reduction: – Young people 8-17 years – severely disabled with proof from 50% – civil and military service – students | 3,00 | 2,50 |
| Family ticket | 8,50 | 7,00 |
| Groups 20 adults and more -> For every 20 people 1 person free! | 3,00 | 2,50 |
| – Visitors with Triberg Guest-Card – Children under 7 years – habitants – Companion of severely disabled with proof from 50% and marked “B” | FREE | FREE |
Covid Rules: There are signs reminding those to maintain distance. Mask wearing is recommended and most people were respectful of this rule.
Though we weren’t impressed, I do feel like we could have enjoyed it had we started from the main entrance. I still think it may be nice to check it out, but if you feel strapped for time or you’ve already seen some of the most impressive waterfalls out there, skip this.
3.) Souvenir Shop around Triberg:
Whether it’s a special souvenir from a cuckoo clock, to wood works, or simply food, there’s tons of special gifts and memorabilia to buy at the Black Forest. Triberg has several souvenir shops in town. Here are a few ideas for what to buy:
Cuckoo Clock:
While visiting Triberg, don’t forget to walk around the cute town and check out all the souvenir shops. Since today was our last day to enjoy Triberg, we wanted to look more into clocks. We didn’t settle on one the previous day. Our search continued as we spoke with a few cuckoo clock makers and decided we wanted to wait until we knew exactly what we wanted.
One clock maker in particular would be able to customize for us. With this, we wanted to be sure to wait until we knew what we wanted. I understand for others, that time is essence, but just know that some clock makers will be able to customize for you if you ask. And, if you really know what you want, they may be able to make it for you and they’ll be able to ship to you, especially if you live in the states! The wait time may be a few weeks to 2-3 months, but totally worth the wait from what I hear from others. A few favorite shop of ours to check out were, Oli’s, the KuckuckNest, and the House of Black Forest Clocks- Not to be confused with House of 1000 Clocks (I’d visit the owners store in Hornberg- Address: Landstraße 7, 78132 Hornberg-not far from Triberg).
Edible Goodies
If you’re a foodie and love remembering your trips with a souvenir of edibles, fear not, there are several shops that sell specialty foods in Triberg! One store, in particular, we visited was the Schinkenstrasse, they had a great variety of souvenirs, especially local food specialties. Don’t forget to buy or try (they serve food at this store too) Triberg’s famous Black Forest Ham! The German name for it is Triberger Fichtenschinken or Triberg Spruce Ham. The store also had other edibles such as local jams, honey, Cherry Brandy (aka Kirschwasser or Cherry Water lol). They also had plenty more to offer in the stores if you are looking for other souvenirs besides food.
Taste the Schwarzwalder Kirschtorte
Don’t leave the Black Forest without trying an authentic Black Forest Cake (aka Black Forest Gateau); the German name for it is above! Side note, they really do put Cherry brandy in the cake! From my research, the best place to try the original/authentic recipe is at Café Schäfer’s, they even have the original recipe book. You can find more info about their cafe and the history here!
We actually enjoyed trying our Black Forest Cake! We plan to return and do a re-taste because we tried ours 2 hours after we bought it at the store (we wanted to eat it at our hotel after dinner). Poor choice on our end, the cake somewhat melted during our drive back and the Brandy really seeped into the cake, so we didn’t enjoy it as much as we would have liked. But I’d say, I would enjoy it if we ate the cake fresh at the cafe with a cup of cappuccino. So, we vowed to do a re-taste when we return to Triberg. We also made a pact to compare with other contenders in the area like Café Adler! So add this to your list and don’t forget to order some coffee or cappuccino with your cake to compliment it!
4.) Town Hop and Check out other Outdoor Fun Around the Black Forest
The Black Forest is huge! We still have not hit all the areas we wanted to visit; that’s why we plan to return! Since we were a little under an hour from Triberg, we were driving back and forth between our hotel in Freudenstadt and Triberg. We didn’t mind, because along the way we were passing other cute towns and made a few stops to check neat stuff we found along the way:
- Antique shopping:
- We were surprise to see a shop open on the main highway on our way back to Freudenstadt from Triberg. I love, love antiquing and when we saw this store was open on a Sunday, we had to make that stop. So, if you see something unique open, stop by, you may find some treasures along the way like I did.
- Putt Putt and other outdoor activities:
- Along the way, we saw a few outdoor activities open like this Putt Putt and of course, the Rodelbahn (which you can find info on our trip there, here). It’s a great way to have the kiddos (and adults) to enjoy more of the outdoor fun the Black Forest has to offer!
- If you’re really keen to outdoors and would like more options, I found this website after our trip and wished I had used it to plan some outdoor fun: Black Forest Travel!
- Stop and admire cute towns along the way:
- During our drive, I kept seeing signs for “Alstadt” (old town) and one town we decided to check out was Schiltach. Cute, cute, cute let me tell you! The picture below just shows some of it’s beautiful timber wood structures and the creek running in the center of town! We stopped to put our feet in the water to feel the cold Black Forest stream in our toes!
- Have a picnic – Our original plan was to have a picnic on the side of the road along the river, but my girls just wanted to go back to the hotel to relax in the pool. Maybe next time!
5.) Enjoy your Hotel Stay:
When we’re on vacation, we mainly focus on doing activities around town; so, we forget our hotel has some wonderful amenities we can enjoy. Since my girls were not in the mood to be tourists anymore that day, we just took advantage of our hotel pool. We had the pool to ourselves that afternoon and it was nice. Due to Covid, we only had a 1 hour time limit and it was more than enough for us. It was nice to have the pool to ourselves and the facility was clean too. More info on our hotel coming soon!
6.) Enjoy Local Eateries!
Triberg is well known in the Black Forest, but I sure am glad we ended up staying in Freudenstadt and experiencing the charm this city had to offer. We were informed to try some restaurants in Triberg, but we wanted low key and less touristy. We decided to try out an Italian restaurant that was highly rated online. It was amazing and let me tell you, tasted like authentic Italian. I ordered a parmesan pasta where they literally used a huge block of parmesan cheese wheel! It was the best parmesan pasta I have had! Granted I have not tried the authentic one in Italy yet, but this is probably the closest I can get to eating in Italy these days lol. So, if you are in the area, be sure to try Osteria D’Orazio! We highly, highly recommend this place!
If you need some recommendations for restaurants in Triberg, here is what most are recommending on TripAdvisor!
We ended our day relaxing back at the hotel. The next day was our final day. After our amazing breakfast, we packed our belongings, and on the way home, we stopped by an antique store in Freudenstandt. Our original plan was to spend the day at Baden Baden which is not far from the Black Forest and spend the day at one of their Mineral Baths. Unfortunately, we needed to head home and cut our trip short due to unforeseen events (it’s ok, we were all fine).
All in all, the Black Forest did not disappoint! We still have yet to cover all of it’s charm, so we plan to return (we have to if we decide to buy a cuckoo clock lol). I am looking forward to our next trip there. Thanks for reading along! Till next time! Bis Zum Nacthen Mal!
Hey there! What a lovely blogpost, it totally reminds me of our trips to Germany when I was a child. But, yours is better, because you actually collected some really cool and unique programs! Thanks for sharing them 🙂
Thank you for checking the post out! The Black Forest is one of my favorite places! I hope you get to visit again and enjoy it as you did when your were a child and add more memories =)
This looks like an amazing trip! Visiting the Black Forest is on my bucket list, and I’ll definitely make sure to follow some of your recommendations when I finally go.
Thank you for your kind words! I do hope you get to visit soon, it really is a magical place! It’s so huge, I don’t even think we covered half of what is around the area! We hope to return!
We are looking to book a place around Am Badeparadies1, which is somewhere in the same area you visited. I am glad there is much more to do. I’ll keep this as a guide. Thanks for posting!
Thank you for your kind words! I hope you enjoy your visit! There is so much to do in the area!